Cornelis van Dalen (I) (c.1602–1665)/Cornelis van Dalen II (1649–1689), Circle of - De Rommelpotspeler - NO RESERVE

Cornelis van Dalen (I) (ca.1602–1665) / Cornelis van Dalen II (1649–1689), Kring van
The rommelpot player
Oil painting on canvas (40.5x33cm / with a monumental frame 63x55.5cm)

Introduction
The genre of the musical youth forms a recurring motif within the Dutch Golden Age, where humor, character studies, and social observation merge into an art form that reflects both popular life and the refined taste of the urban elite. This painting, originating from the circle around Cornelis van Dalen I and II, is directly related to an original composition preserved in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. This museum connection firmly anchors the work within the historical visual tradition of the Van Dalen workshop and provides a valuable starting point for art historical interpretation of this painting. The Rommelpot player aligns with a long series of seventeenth-century depictions in which the theme of the playing or music-making youth was used to combine liveliness and playfulness with artisanal virtuosity in light, texture, and expression.

Description of the work
The young man addresses the viewer with an open, self-assured smile. The artist has placed the figure in a calm three-quarter pose, with the torso making a gentle turn and the arm slightly raised to play the drum. This pose creates an engaging dynamic, enhanced by the subtle modeling of the face. The light falls diagonally from the left onto the face, making the warm skin tones stand out clearly. The paintwork shows a careful transition from light to dark areas, with soft shadows convincingly shaping the rounded volumes of the cheeks, nose, and chin.

The garment, presumably a simple work or peasant smock, is rendered with particular attention to texture. Broad brushstrokes and transparent glazes give the fabric a layered depth, with light spots modeling the folds and creating a realistic, almost tangible effect. The red feather in the hat and the warm tones in the textile break through the dark tonality of the background and introduce a harmonious color tension into the composition.

The background is kept deep and dark, a characteristic choice within the baroque chiaroscuro that was frequently used in the Northern Netherlands. The contrast between the dark space and the clearly modeled figure creates a theatrical intensity that enhances the main subject and at the same time gives the impression that the character is literally emerging from the darkness.

Technique & use of color
The painter used a traditional oil painting technique, alternating transparent layers, glazes, and subtle impastos to optimally exploit the play of light and shadow. The paint was modeled with finely tuned transitions, which are clearly visible in the face and hands, while the clothing shows a slightly freer and broader brushwork.

The color palette consists of warm earth tones, deep umbers, ochres, and reddish browns, complemented by small accents in red and weathered white. This choice closely aligns with seventeenth-century genre painting, where naturalism and warmth were central. The overall composition is supported by a tonality that connects the realistic expression of the figure with baroque monumentalism.

Composition & art historical context
The composition is strictly organized around the energetic presence of the player. The diagonal movement of the arm and the rommelpot creates a rhythmic flow that is kept in balance by the stable vertical silhouette of the figure. The artist opts for a simple but highly effective construction: no accessories, no anecdotal details, just the figure and his instrument, drawing all attention to human expression.

The work closely aligns with the tradition of 17th-century Dutch genre painting, in which everyday life was depicted in an refined manner. Within this movement, painters such as Jan Miense Molenaer, Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651), Adriaen van Ostade, Frans Hals, and internationally David Teniers the Younger and the Le Nain brothers are relevant style peers, without their pictorial approach matching one-to-one. The combination of direct interaction with the viewer, playful narrative, and Baroque lighting is characteristic of this segment of art production.

The specific subject choice — the rattle pot player — belongs to an iconography that was widespread in both prints and paintings. The fact that the Boijmans version of the Van Dalens serves as a precedent offers an interesting connection to the current depiction, which can be placed within their broader atelier and influence sphere.

The artist and his circle
Cornelis van Dalen I and his son Cornelis van Dalen II were primarily active as engravers and portraitists, and they were highly regarded in their time for the delicacy and precision of their graphic work. Their prints circulated internationally and contributed to the visual dissemination of Dutch portrait art. Although their name is most closely associated with printmaking, there are paintings known that align stylistically with their graphic work and the pictorial conventions of their environment. The artistic production within their circle is distinguished by attention to expressive character, careful treatment of light, and precise construction of volumes — qualities that are clearly present in this painting.

Because the work is closely related to the Boijmans composition, it forms a valuable document within the painterly reception of the Van Dalen image tradition. This historical continuity makes the piece of art historically particularly relevant, not only as an independent artwork but also as part of a broader network of seventeenth-century visual culture.

Condition
The canvas has been doubled in an earlier period, a common conservation measure for historical paintings. Under UV light, retouches are visible, distributed across various zones of the surface, with some areas showing paint loss. The top layer shows aging and natural darkening, appropriate for a painting of this age and origin. Recently, a superficial cleaning was carried out, followed by the application of a new, thin dammar varnish in matte-gloss, which has visually stabilized the painting. The frame, monumental and richly profiled, shows some carefully restored damages.

Provenance
The composition aligns with the painting The Rommelpot Player by Cornelis van Dalen I/II in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, which serves as an important reference point for both iconography and art historical placement. This relationship reinforces the dating, stylistic context, and attribution to the circle of the Van Dalen family.

Final remarks
The 'De rommelpotspeler' is a lively, characterful, and art historically interesting work that vividly embodies the qualities of the Dutch Golden Age. The painting possesses an immediate charm, supported by a strong expressive execution, subtle use of color, and a composition that fully showcases the figure. In conjunction with the museum counterpart from Rotterdam, it forms a valuable addition to any collection focused on seventeenth-century genre art and serves as a representative document of the influence of the Van Dalen family in painting.

The work 'De Rommelpotspeler' is a gilded monumental wooden frame with plaster ornaments (damages, old restorations, and updated parts; see photos).

Total dimensions: 63x55.5cm
Canvas dimensions: 40.5 x 33 cm

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